Getting a doctors appointment

pigpen

lostinrates wrote: »

Sometimes it makes more sense to be at a gp near where you work not where you live. It gives you more choice. Probably not when you are just about to go on maternity leave, but Might be worth seeing if would suit you better if you plan to go back to work.

But then you are stuffed if you need a home visit and you are out of their 'catchment area'

Nurse appointments are booked up 3 weeks in advance at ours.. great if you have a wappy cycle and need a smear!

Ours do 'telephone appointments'... then don't bother ringing!!

OH registered at a different surgery to me and the children but he was not permitted to register our 2 children with him because children have to be registered with their mother!!! Seriously crazy! What if he had been raising them alone?

lostinrates

pigpen wrote: »

But then you are stuffed if you need a home visit and you are out of their 'catchment area'

Nurse appointments are booked up 3 weeks in advance at ours.. great if you have a wappy cycle and need a smear!

Ours do 'telephone appointments'... then don't bother ringing!!

OH registered at a different surgery to me and the children but he was not permitted to register our 2 children with him because children have to be registered with their mother!!! Seriously crazy! What if he had been raising them alone?

I think its a balance of likelihoods. As ones needs change and likelihood of home visits increases then practise choice might change. I AM with my local practise, and have chronic ill health, but hardly any home visits. ATM I can only remember four ( I have really, really bad memory so that might not be accurate, its ticked up while typing) most of the time however ill I am they want me driven to the local treatment centre in a nighty or whatever.

I love telephone appts. Now doctors seem so much less likely to physically examine anyway and never take bloods etc themselves ( used to do in that initial -appt if there was time saving a whole appt time with a nurse ) it makes so much more sense.

marvin

My Dr's guarantee an appointment the same day regardless of time you call (unless it is very late then it will be next morning).

This I think is a very good service but due to this they tend not to want to book days ahead.

flower_delivery_guy

It can be frustrating but 99% of the times, we will be seen, and most of the times you will only be given antibiotics.

tayforth

morganedge wrote: »

My surgery is the same where the receptionist always asks what's wrong with you, and then she'll tell the Doctor and you'll get a phonecall back later.
Embarrassing.

Isn't it tempting to be a bit mischievous and tell them something really embarrassing? "I've got the clap!" :rotfl:

marvin wrote: »

My Dr's guarantee an appointment the same day regardless of time you call (unless it is very late then it will be next morning).

This I think is a very good service but due to this they tend not to want to book days ahead.

Where is this surgery and have they got any spaces?

j.e.j.

tayforth wrote: »

Isn't it tempting to be a bit mischievous and tell them something really embarrassing? "I've got the clap!" :rotfl:

oh, they'd just send you to the sexual health clinic next door :rotfl:

Bangton

lostinrates wrote: »

Sometimes it makes more sense to be at a gp near where you work not where you live. It gives you more choice. Probably not when you are just about to go on maternity leave, but Might be worth seeing if would suit you better if you plan to go back to work.

I didn't actually know you could do this. When I joined my docs I had to be in the catchment area to be able to register there. I just assumed you must go to your local docs. If that's the case I don't know why I've stayed with them...they are the worst docs ever!

kleapatra

I also must be really lucky then, I can always get a same day appointment - several times I've managed to get one within 45 minutes as well. Sometimes its not with my doctor but if I specifically want to see him, its never more than 2 or 3 days. None of this phoning in the morning either - I can phone anytime of day or book online. My doctor also always writes me a private prescription if he knows the drugs will be cheaper than an NHS prescription. The antibiotics I have to take several times a year (prone to water infections!) normally cost less than £2 on a private prescription.
The only problems I have with them are the bloody receptionists who always kick up a fuss that I'm out of catchment and try and oust me from 'their' surgery. I'm less than a mile outside of it and I don't mind travelling the extra distance, its not like they even do home visits, I'd just go to the A&E thats even closer to my house if I was that ill! My Doctor always tells me to ignore them and says he doesn't care where I live!

lostinrates

Bangton wrote: »

I didn't actually know you could do this. When I joined my docs I had to be in the catchment area to be able to register there. I just assumed you must go to your local docs. If that's the case I don't know why I've stayed with them...they are the worst docs ever!

I'm just having a google and I am not sure you can universally actually

I have done it before, but it might have been a trial scheme....let me see if I can find anything more. I might have to admit being wrong on that being an option as I thought.


Not very clear, but seems to say it is possible here but there might be a discretion based on catchment. I seem to remember I explained I was registering as my proximity to work. Not sure which address I would have given. It would certainly not have been in catchment for my home address though.

/www.nhs.uk/choiceintheNHS/Yourchoices/GPchoice/Pages/ChoosingaGP.aspx

Savvy_Sue

when they introduced a 'new' system of mostly call on the day at our GP, we were asked to do a survey soon afterwards. I said how impossible it was to get an appointment, and was called over to the reception desk and told that it WAS possible to book ahead.

I tried to do that the next time I needed an appointment and met with obstruction. "I shall have to take one of the 'on the day' appointments and pre-book it for you, I shall have to explain to Dr X why I've done this." I didn't disagree, I rather thought that was her problem not mine.

They've improved things considerably since then.

alwaysskint96 wrote: »

My doctors like many others it seems have got this daft system of having to ring at 8am for an appointment. How do people manage this for non emergency cases ? And what about people who have difficulty using the phone?

I popped into the surgery today as need an appointment- quite happy to wait a week or so, to be told that 17th july at 9am was the ONLY prebookable one available. That seems ridiculous but took it. as no other choice but also asked the receptionist how it works. Apparently there is a limited ( obv very) amount of pre bookable appts the rest you have to phone at 8am for one that day.

I am partially deaf and find phone difficult. I used to call in surgery at 8am to make appt - this is no longer allowed, get told to go home and phone ( no good to me need to SEE peoples lips move when they talking to me

And I live in a commuter town- most people are on the train/tube into London at 8am, And even if they did get through its only same day appointments available, no good if you need to book time off work. Also majority of parents are doing school runs around that time- not easy to be ringing to be constantly getting engaged tone


The receptionist tells me the system works- yes for the elderly perhaps ( surgery was full of elderly people) but it seems very difficult for anyone else to see the doc

So how does everyone else get round this system- must be some way Ive not thought of

As Mojisola says ...

Mojisola wrote: »

Do you have a mobile phone? I would stand in front of her, phone the surgery and then have the conversation while I could see what she's saying! It might show them how ridiculous the system is.

Love it!

Mojisola wrote: »

Of all work places, a surgery should understand about making provisions for people with disabilities. Write to the practice manager and explain your difficulties and ask how they are going to help you.

This!

My mother's GP surgery asked if one of us could always phone on her behalf because she uses the Text Relay service, so calls take quite a long time: she asks for an appointment, they offer her one at a time she can't manage, she says no, can she come on this day after 3 pm, they say no, dr she wants to see isn't available then, and so it goes on. I said no, it's NOT always possible for one of us to phone on her behalf, I can only do it when I'm in the same room as her and I live 70 miles away, so they either need to let her use email (they won't) or deal with the Text Relay service - which she has a right to use!

Bangton wrote: »

I didn't actually know you could do this. When I joined my docs I had to be in the catchment area to be able to register there. I just assumed you must go to your local docs. If that's the case I don't know why I've stayed with them...they are the worst docs ever!

If the surgery is over subscribed then no, you can't. Even if it's not, they may not accept you from out of catchment. You could take a look here.

DS2's just had a letter to ask if he still lives at home, if not they will strike him off. Trying to persuade him to get a GP where he now lives, but he keeps moving!